A significant limiting factor in current n-channel MOSFETs is hot-electron-induced degradation, because of high channel electric fields and electron impact ionization rates in the micron and sub-micron n-channel devices. In hot electron injection, electrons are injected into the gate oxide by the high electric field created by the short channel region adjacent to the drain. As a result, the threshold voltage of the device is altered. In addition, overlap between the gate electrode and the source and drain results in parasitic capacitance between the diffusion region and the gate. This phenomenon, called Miller capacitance, decreases device speed.
"Lightly doped drain" (LDD) and "double diffused drain" (DDD) structures have been developed to minimize this degradation. Both of these structures are based on the theory that if there is a lightly doped n-surface layer adjacent to the channel, the peak electric field will be reduced and shifted from under the gate so that hot electron-induced degradation will be lessened. However, both pose other types of problems. Production of LDD structures requires the use of an additional mask to prevent LDD phosphorus from implanting into p-channel regions. In both the LDD and DDD structures one must construct a highly doped n+ region to produce low contact resistance at the n-channel source and drain for high-speed circuits.
The production of CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) devices requires somewhere in the area of eleven masks to produce the sequential layers of oxides, active areas and contacts which form the device. Each step in the device production generally involves a separate mask, except where "blanket" implant and oxidations can be effected. Each mask which must be used adds to the cost and time required to produce the device. The requirement of added mask steps to reduce hot electron effects has provided greater incentive to find other steps for which masks may be eliminated.
One effort to decrease the number of mask steps involved the use of differential oxidation to eliminate the p+ implant mask. (A. Hui, et al, "An Oxide Masked P+ Source/Drain Implant for VLSI CMOS", IEDM 1982 pp 698.) An n+ implant is performed with a masking step to cover p+ regions with photoresist. Oxide is grown after the photoresist is stripped. Because of the difference in dopant concentrations between the p- and the n- channel source/drain regions, a thicker oxide is grown over the n-channel regions. A p+ implant can be performed which will pass through the thin oxide over the p-channel sources and drains but will be blocked by the thicker oxide over the n-channel sources and drains. This process, however, is not compatible with a self-aligned silicide (salicide) process.
Salicide processes are desirable for their ability to produce low sheet resistance at contacts to polysilicon, n+ and p+ regions for MOS devices in the micron and submicron ranges. Salicides allow for increased device speeds where scaling down of contact dimensions would otherwise result in higher contact resistance, causing slower devices. Steps must be taken, however, to provide a clean silicon surface for silicide formation, and to prevent shorts between the gate and the source and/or drain. Such steps are not provided in the prior proposed differential oxide process.
It would therefore be advantageous to be able to combine a procedure which allows for the elimination of a mask step and provides protection against hot-electron effects with a salicide process to provide low resistance contacts and increased device speed. This is a preferred embodiment of the present invention.